Extension to B[R]G Perchtoldsdorf

We have succeeded in winning another school tender, convincing the jury with our project for the BG (federal grammar school) / BRG (federal technical high school) in Perchtoldsdorf. Given the complexity of the task, we are particularly pleased with the excerpt from the jury’s protocol: “The entire project is captivating due to the urban planning configuration, the clear and logical location of the functions as well as the coherent and well thought-out architecture…”

The expansion of the BG/BRG Perchtoldsdorf takes place through a 3-floor extension. The extension takes up the comb-shaped structure of the existing building and extends it towards the east. A new, spacious forecourt is created that is both a patio and a school yard simultaneously.

The new forecourt contributes to identity, not only underscoring the campus idea but also offering a high quality place in which to spend time. It can also be functionally combined with the auditorium and multi-purpose zone on the entrance floor to form a spacious area with the garden behind, providing a new space for school festivals, exhibitions of public project work, theater workshops, etc.

The extension has been designed as a compact expansion of the existing volume and combines with it to form a new school unit. Clear interfaces with the existing structure and careful handling of the existing substance take into account an approach that is designed to be cost-effective.

The school is accessed via Roseggergasse. Moving the entrance area into the existing basement creates a spacious school lobby and at the same time an inviting space in front of the school that invites people to linger and communicate with each other. The cloakroom will remain and will be extended barrier-free towards the entrance area by approx. 80m². The attractive multi-purpose room forms the new center of the school and offers a view of and reference to the outside space. The direct, threshold-free connection between the multi-purpose room and the music hall makes it easy to play there. The location of the kitchen to reheat foods, dining room and lounge area in the immediate vicinity of the multi-purpose room enables good interaction, not just at school festivals. External access and deliveries to the kitchen take place to the north of the extension. The above-mentioned day care areas are located right next to the 4 group rooms, which are fitted with mobile partition walls, so can be connected to form a large hall for conferences or to hold central school leaving examinations. The administration is located right next to the “customer-oriented” entrance and is designed as a compact, coherent unit. The teachers’ work space can be divided into 2-3 areas.

An open seating system in the central axis leads to the upper floors.

This new central zone – illuminated by skylights and the generous opening of the facade to the north and/or connected by air spaces – forms an exciting spatial structure for spending time, communicating and engaging in open learning. The school’s learning and information center has been relocated and arranged in relation to the reading terrace, on the second floor of this middle zone at the point of articulation between the existing building and the new one. 

All the specialist classrooms are newly housed in the existing buildings and combined to form thematic units. Only the biology area is located in the extension. The core classes are housed both in the existing building and in the extension building. The break zones at the end of the corridor areas are open and bright and offer additional freely-usable zones.